Mr. Speaker, yesterday's budget confirmed our government's top priority: creating and protecting jobs. The Minister of Finance confirmed that year two of our Canada's economic action plan will be fully implemented.

Mr. Speaker, the economic growth and jobs budget presented yesterday by the government is all about focusing on the economy and improving the lives of Canadians to restore more hope and more opportunity,

We will spend a further $19 billion on federal stimulus spending that will be complemented by $6 billion in stimulus funding from the provinces, territories and municipalities.

We can look at what municipalities are saying about this budget. Look at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities that is headed up by the mayor of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Basil Stewart. He says:

FCM applauds the federal government for protecting core investments in cities and communities as it reduces the federal budget deficit. These investments will help local governments--

Mr. Speaker, documents obtained under access to information clearly reveal that the Minister of Citizenship made a decision to explicitly exclude gay and lesbian people and our history from the new citizenship guide. However, he told a respected human rights group that it was merely an oversight.

Both this decision and duplicity about it go to the character of the government. Is the minister proud of either of these actions?

The reality is that I specifically decided to, for the first time ever, include content about gays and lesbians in the national citizenship guide. There was zero content in the guide under the Liberal government.

It is true that I also decided not to have a section on marriage in the guide. There has never been a section on marriage of any variety nor is there, I believe, in the citizenship guides of any other pure democracies.

I am pleased that this guide, unlike the one published by the Liberals, includes comments about gays and lesbians, about women's equality, women's voting rights, gender equality, Aboriginal residential schools, Chinese head tax, the whole Canadian story.

Mr. Speaker, while this budget maintains tax breaks for the oil companies, seniors have been left in the cold. The budget does not propose any measures to help older workers who cannot retrain, and ignores the needs of the poorest seniors by failing to improve the guaranteed income supplement.

How can the government justify the fact that it always finds money for the oil companies but never has money to help older workers who cannot be retrained or our poorest seniors?

Diane FinleyConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development

Mr. Speaker, she should have read the budgets for last year and the year before.

We spent money for seniors in several ways. There is pension splitting and there are increased deductions. For seniors and older workers, there are expanded systems to support them and help them return to work.

Mr. Speaker, the budget for Environment Canada last year was essentially $1 billion. The budget for Environment Canada this year is $1.1 billion. I calculate that as a 10% increase. I do not know how the NDP does its math, but it might explain to Canadians how that constitutes a massive cut at Environment Canada.

Mr. Speaker, Canadians lose faith in the criminal justice system when they feel that the punishment does not fit the crime.

Since the 2006 election, our Conservative government has taken action to crack down on crime and ensure the safety and security of our communities. We passed legislation mandating tougher prison sentences for gun crimes, raised the age of protection from 14 to 16 and strengthened sentencing provisions for dangerous criminals.

Would the Minister of Justice tell the House what he plans to introduce in this session of Parliament to help combat crime and protect our country's most vulnerable citizens?

Rob NicholsonConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his continuous support of our criminal justice agenda.

We will have a very busy time. It is a very important agenda. We will increase the penalties for sexual offences against children, strengthen the sex registry, ensure that life means life for multiple murderers and require that violent offenders serve their time in jail, not in the luxury of a home.

We will reintroduce that drug bill, not the way it was watered down by the Liberals but in its original form.

Those initiatives have the overwhelming support of Canadians and they should have the overwhelming support of the members of the House.

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative budget fails to address the needs of new Canadians. The government continues to overlook the fact that improved integration of new Canadians is a much needed step to facilitate Canada's economic recovery. The foreign credentials and qualifications of new Canadians must be assessed and recognized in a timely manner.

When will the government deliver on its long overdue commitment to new Canadians and stop playing with their foreign credentials and qualification needs?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question and the Liberal Party's discovery of this important issue.

The reality is that the Liberal government imposed a $1,000 head tax on all newcomers to Canada that this government cut in half. The Liberal government froze settlement funding for newcomers for 12 years. We tripled settlement funding for language classes and better integration.

The Liberal government did precisely nothing on the critical issue of foreign credential recognition. We created the foreign credential referral office. This budget includes the economic action plan's $50 million commitment to the pan-Canadian framework to streamline foreign credential recognition across the country. We are delivering for newcomers.

That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, for the purpose of the debate on Ways and Means Motion No. 1 in relation to budget 2010, Standing Order 84 be amended as follows:

(a) section (4) be deleted; and

(b) section (5) be replaced with the following:

(4) On the third day of the said days, at 15 minutes before the expiry of the time provided for government business in such sitting, the Speaker shall interrupt the proceedings and forthwith put every question necessary to dispose of any subamendment and amendment.